Bedding in duck house?

[3bird]

You must know that ducks are a lot of work. They are more work then chickens. No matter what bedding you use you will have to change it often. Duck poo is sticky, watery, and smelly. To keep you and your birds safe you have to change it often. At LEAST once a week. Hope I helped!!!

More messy than chickens? Yes, but we do not change once a week. In the duckhouse, we do a 2x daily spot cleaning, and we add new bedding as needed (mix of pine shavings and straw). We use deep litter method and let it build up and then clean-out 2x/year. In the run, we use straw and deep litter all winter. In the summer, the portion of the run under the duckhouse stays deep litter with straw (Martha and Stella nest under there), but the rest just has a relatively thin layer of straw with daily spot cleaning and then a more serious clean maybe once a week depending on how much they have been in the run.

A couple details: We have 6 silver Appleyards (we sadly just lost one of our drakes). Our run is covered, and they have 24/7 access to it except when we get to -10F, when they get locked in the duckhouse. This time of the year, they are free ranging maybe 6-8 hours a day--often more. They have a 5-gallon water bucker in the run, as well as a stainless steel soup bowl. They have free-choice pellets and grit. No food or water in the duckhouse!

 

[onaharley]

Well, up until this past Friday I have had no problems with sand. Ted was locked up for about a week and half in his pen due to his Randy ways (it was the only way to keep him separated from the BLTS and Bill). This was a major fault on my behalf, as the sand resorted in bumblefoot for Ted! We now have the back yard separated, which allow some him to be on grass. Way better for his feet!

I took him to the vet and they said put straw down until his feet gets better. And let me just say this.....what a pain in butt this has become!!! Before putting straw down, I would just scoop up the poo in the morning, ten minutes tops. Now I have to pick out all the poo spots out of the straw, rake all the straw to one side of the pen and start sifting the remaining poo clumps. Lay the good straw back out and apply more if need be! What a headache and it takes for ever, or so it seems.

Life was way easier when it was just sand. Now mind you it has been unseasonably wet here in Michigan, so that has not helped with the bumble foot issues either. But once I am able I will go back to all sand. They only go in the pen for night time and to eat during the day.

I keep food and water in their pen at night and have had no issues.... that I know of. But then again I might have to rethink this because I have seen some mice around the house. I keep a 62qt tote on its side and the water bucket sits inside of it. What water the splash out gets caught in the back of the tote...making les of a water mess!!!

I will post pictures when I go back out side

 

[onaharley]

 

[Soon2BChixMom]

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Love your set up.

 

[harmonymw]

I’ve been taking the used chicken nest box material (sometimes pads, sometimes first cut hay) and moving it to the duck house once I’ve deemed it too dirty for Chicken laying. Then when it’s too dirty for the duck house, it goes to the compost pile. I’m not sure if this is a good long term solution, but it seems okay. No food or water inside the duck house.

 

[onaharley]

Love your set up.

Thank you!